SOMEONE TO WATCH OVER ME 2
by TinkerBella7
Summary: I love the new MacGyver. I love the bromance between Mac and Jack. I love Mac angst. This story is all about the bromance and the Mac angst.


Even though it was dark, the moon was bright enough to guide his way as Mac ran up the winding path of the hills that overlooked his house. With a triumphant fist pump he reached the summit and he finally paused, hands on knees, catching his breath. As his breath finally evened out, he straightened and turned with the intent of enjoying the view, when he caught sight of a familiar face.

"Jack..." Mac drawled, shaking his head as he strolled over to join the man who was leaning against his vehichle, arms folded over his chest, face shadowed but stern. "What are you doing here?" And way to go, Mac, he chided himself. How the hell had he not noticed the vehicle planted smack dab across from the trail? Some spy he was. He'd have to work on his observational skills.

"Waiting for you," Jack promptly replied.

Mac frowned at that, puzzling over why, but what he asked was, "How did you know I'd be here?"

Jack snorted. "Because I know you, kid. Don't ever forget that."

"Is something up?" Mac countered, trying to figure out why his friend would be up here, looking for him at two am in the morning. "Do we have a mission?" He patted the pocket of his sweat pants, feeling his phone safely zipped into the left side. He pulled it out, surprised to see there was no message. "What's going on, Jack?"

"You tell me, Mac." Jack was obviously being obtuse and obviously enjoying the fact he was irritating Mac.

Moving to stand before the other man, Mac locked eyes with Jack and asked straight out, "Why are you here?"

Pushing off the car, Jack moved to open the passenger door. "Get in and I'll drive you home. We need to talk."

"You're making me nervous, Jack," Mac confessed, not moving from his spot. "What the hell is going on? What aren't you telling me?" He was starting to wonder if someone had died. Maybe something had happened to Thornton. Or maybe... "Is this about Nikki?"

"Get in the car, Mac," Jack repeated, patiently holding the door open.

Huffing a sigh of frustration, Mac did as he was told, wincing at how quietly Jack closed the door behind him, because a calm and quiet Jack usually meant a seriously pissed off Jack. Now Mac was beginning to think he was the one who Jack was angry at. He just couldn't figure out what he had done. So the moment his friend slid into the passenger seat, Mac queried, "What's going on?"

Jack gave Mac a once over before curtly stating, "Seatbelt."

"Seriously?" Now Mac was starting to get angry, but he fumbled with the belt, clicking it into place. "There, happy?" he snapped.

"Ecstatic," Jack drawled, strapping on his own seatbelt before starting the car. He pulled onto the road and headed down the hill.

Mac drummed his fingers on one thigh, waiting for Jack to say something. The other man started humming tunelessly, ratcheting Mac's irritation level up about a thousand percent. He knew how stubborn Jack could be, but he could be stubborn right back at him. So Mac said nothing, focusing instead on trying to tune Jack out, which worked well enough until his friend started whistling. Thirty seconds later Mac smacked his palm against the dashboard and growled, "If you don't stop that I'm jumping out of the car!"

Jack immediately fell silent, foot hitting the brake as he turned his head to glare at Mac. "So am I pissing you off, Mac? Is that what you're saying?"

"Yes, that's what I'm saying!" Mac snapped. "What the hell is going on, Jack? Why are you here? It's two am, in case you haven't noticed."

"I noticed." Jack put the car into park and cut the engine. He snapped off his seatbelt and shifted to face Mac fully. "Just like I noticed you haven't slept probably more than two or three hours a night since Nikki got away. Or how you don't eat unless someone puts food in front of you and pretty much orders you to eat."

Mac felt inclined to point out, "I always forget to eat." It was a lame argument, and he knew it, but it was all he had. His brain never really shut off and with his work he was always focused on something else, so food had always been of secondary importance at best.

Jack opened his door and almost flung himself out of it.

Cursing, Mac did the same, barely getting to his feet before Jack was there, in his face.

"This has to stop, Mac!" Jack shouted. "Do you understand that?"

"Whoa...whoa...whoa," Mac countered, holding up his hands in an offer of surrender. He was relieved to see Jack, visibly, calm himself. Reaching out, Mac gripped his friend by the shoulder. "What are you talking about? Is everything okay, Jack? If you need me, I'm here for you." Mac was pretty sure he was watching the beginning of what looked to be a monumental meltdown on Jack's part and, hey, in their line of work they had all earned the right to have a moment.

Jack stared at Mac, eyes wide in disbelief, shock written all over his face. He opened and closed his mouth a few times, like a fish out of water, but no words came out. Then, surprisingly, he began to laugh.

Which worried Mac, because there was a veneer of hysteria in the sound. "Jack...?"

"You..." Jack abruptly stopped laughing, taking a moment to catch his breath before shaking a finger at Mac. "You're something else, you know that?" He scrubbed a hand over his face as he moved to lean against the side of the car, looking exhausted. "Mac...I'm here because I'm worried about you, kid."

"Why?" Mac was sincerely confused. "I'm fine."

Jack shook his head. "You haven't been fine since Nikki left."

Mac shut the car door and leaned against it, scowling. "I thought we did this already, with that whole intervention thing you guys pulled on me. I told you then and I'll tell you now...I've moved on."

"No you haven't, so don't even go there," Jack countered. "Mac...I know you feel responsible for what Nikki did, but that's all on her."

"I know that!" Mac snapped, pushing away from the car and pacing in a half circle. He really did not want to get into this right now and he said as much as he continued to pace. "Nikki is in the past, can we just focus on the future, please?"

Jack moved to step in Mac's path, forcing him to stop pacing or run into him. "I wish we could, but you won't let go of her."

Mac felt anger welling up inside him but he didn't want to yell at Jack, he knew his friend meant well. So he figured it would be best to just walk away or, rather, run away. So he stepped around Jack with the intention of continuing his run only to find a hand on his arm. Mac tried to pull free only to be pushed against the car and pinned there. He glared at Jack. "Really? You want to go there?"

"What I want is for you to listen to me," Jack countered, not easing up on his grip one iota.

"Okay, I'm listening," Mac replied, figuring if he let Jack have his say then they could put all this behind them and get back to business as usual.

Jack locked eyes with Mac. "You are burning yourself out, kiddo. I know you don't see it, but I do. You know how to fake it for the rest of the world, but you can't fool me, Mac. And I'm not going to just stand by and watch you punish yourself."

Mac stared at Jack in stunned disbelief. He could not believe what he was hearing. "I'm not punishing myself!" he protested. "What the hell, Jack? What do you want from me? Are you trying to tell me I'm not doing my job? Is that it?" Mac was so angry now he yanked out of Jack's grip only to push the other man hard, making him stumble. "I'm not going to stand here and listen to this bullshit!"

"You are going to listen to me," Jack shot back, catching his balance and moving in a blur. Seconds later he had Mac pinned against the door again. When he struggled against him, Jack hissed, "If you don't stop I'm going to handcuff you to this car and pat frisk you for bobby pins, paper clips...and I've already got your knife." With his free hand he held Mac's Swiss army knife in front of his face and waggled it tauntingly.

"I'm doing my job," Mac insisted, even as he went still. He knew Jack would handcuff him if he didn't.

Jack sighed, stepping back but watching Mac, as if waiting for him to bolt. "I know you're doing your job. Since Bozer set up that intervention, you've made it a point to show everyone you're good to go and on track. But I know better, Mac. The path you're on does not lead to a good place."

In that moment all the fight went out of Mac and all that was left was the heavy weight of guilt, blanketed by exhaustion. He sagged against the car, one hand lifting to scrub at his eyes. "I know that," he whispered, feeling Jack back off only to join him against the car, leaning shoulder to shoulder. "I know it in my head, but I can't change how I feel."

"I get that." Jack shoulder bumped Mac. "Listen...what you have to remember is that you're the guy that saves lives every day. Sometimes you see the faces of the people you save, sometimes you even get a *thank you* out of it. But most time the masses have no clue that they continue to exist...because of you. So you, my friend, have zero reason to feel guilty about anything."

"I should have known what Nikki was doing," Mac countered, unable to keep the regret out of his voice. Unable to dissolve the anger that consumed him. "I knew her, Jack. But she blindsided me." Mac shook his head, feeling like he was drowning in self-doubt. "How could I be so stupid?"

Jack turned, gripping Mac by both shoulders and shaking him just hard enough to startle him out of his downward spiral. "You aren't stupid, you were in love. And, to be honest, I truly believe that Nikki loved you, Mac. Her feelings for you were the real deal."

Mac wanted to believe that, but at the same time he felt like there was something wrong with him for giving a damn about whether or not the woman who had betrayed him had actually loved him. He found himself blurting out the one thing that haunted him the most. "I guess she just didn't love me enough. She chose the money over me. Over us."

"I wish I had some magic words to help you put it all in perspective, bro," Jack countered, looping one arm around Mac's shoulders and pulling him in for a hug.

Which Mac allowed himself to indulge in for all of thirty seconds. Then he pulled back, running a hand through his hair as he fought to regain his composure. After a moment he managed a wobbly smile. "I'll get there...eventually," he allowed. "Just give me time."

Jack nodded. "I'll do that, you know I've got your back. But that doesn't mean I'm going to stand by and watch you burn yourself out. So get your skinny ass in the car so I can drive you back home, where you are going to shower then sleep. And if you have trouble sleeping I'll be happy to knock you out for a few hours. Repeatedly."

"I bet you would." Mac found himself chuckling as he let Jack manhandle him into the passenger seat and close the door.

Sliding behind the wheel, Jack gestured for Mac to buckle up, then he picked back up on their conversation as he started the engine and headed for home. "When you wake up, I'm going to make you my specialty sandwich. Two of them."

Mac arched a brow, a la Spock. "You mean peanut butter and jelly?"

"No, I don't mean peanut butter and jelly," Jack mumbled.

"That's all you know how to make, my friend," Mac reminded him. "And you suck at it, by the way. Too much peanut butter and not enough jelly. I'll cook," he offered, and he found himself looking forward to it. Cooking was more or less a science and Mac actually enjoyed cooking, when he found a few spare minutes to do so. Although with Bozer around, Mac didn't have a chance to cook very often anyway.

Jack slapped the steering wheel and whooped with joy. "Deal, brother. Maybe you could make that pasta with the chicken and the white stuff."

Mac knew exactly what he meant. "You mean chicken alfredo?" He had made it for Jack for his birthday, which they'd ended up celebrating in a small town in Italy, after stopping an arms dealer.

"That's the one." Jack grinned at him.

"I can do that," Mac allowed, reaching for his seat belt as they pulled into the driveway. As they entered the house, Mac held out his hand. "Knife please." He grinned as Jack slapped it into his palm. Mac felt naked and defenseless without it.

Jack pushed Mac towards the bathroom. "Go shower then sleep. If you need anything just yell, I'll be binge watching Netflix."

Mac appreciated the gesture, but he knew Jack had better things to do than babysit him. He did enough of that when they were working. "You don't have to stay."

"I know I don't have to stay," Jack countered, as he flopped on the couch and reached for the remote. "I want to stay." He looked at Mac and grinned. "My TV's broke." It was a lie and they both knew it.

It was a lie Mac could live with. "Okay. If you get tired you can crash in Bozer's room. He'll be out of town for the week."

Jack looked intrigued. "Hot chick?"

"Family reunion followed by a cousin's wedding," Mac replied. "I had to turn off my phone. He was blowing it up with selfies on snapchat.

"Sounds like Bozer," Jack allowed. He turned his attention back to the tv. "Go shower, you stink."

Mac frowned. "I don't." He sniffed a pit. Okay, he kinda did.

Jack confirmed it. "You do. Shower...sleep," he ordered, flicking through the Netflix options.

"No porn," Mac countered, as a parting shot. He smiled as Jack waved him off. He was closing his bedroom door when he heard Jack's parting words.

"Sweet dreams, kid. I got your back."

Mac knew he did.

A ten minute shower later, Mac was sliding under the covers. He could hear Jack in the other room, talking back at the tv and he felt himself finally relaxing, heavy eyelids drifting closed. As sleep pulled him down into sweet oblivion, Mac knew that no matter what else happened in his crazy life, Jack would always be there. Watching his back.

THE END


End file.
